USII.2a4a Part I

Allowed farmers to keep cattle from nearby ranches off their fields and away from their crops.

• steel plow

• barbed wire

• windmill

• sod house

Allowed farmers to break up dry tough soil of the Great Plains.

• sod house

• windmill

• steel plow

• barbed wire

These were used throughout the Great Plains to pump water from the ground and to provide power.

• windmills

• sod house

• steel plow

• barbed wire

Which of these was NOT an adaptation that contributed to the settlement of the west?

• dry farming

• cattle ranching

• sharecropping

• wheat farming

City where both lines of the Transcontinental Railroad met to complete construction

• Omaha, Nebraska

• Sacramento,California

• Promontory, Utah

The Transcontinental Railroad reduced the time it took to travel across the United States from 6 months to _______

• 6 weeks

• 6 days

• 3 weeks

• 3 days

Which of the following was NOT part of the physical environment of the Great Plains?

• land eroded by wind and water

• forests

• low rainfall

• frequent dust storms

The Homestead Act was written to encourage people to

• move to eastern cities

• mine and raise cattle in the west

• settle and farm western lands

• avoid border conflicts with Mexico

Which of the following was NOT A MAJOR result of the Homestead Act?

• increased conflict between settlers and Native Americans

• increased westward migration

• protection of the rights of Native Americans

• opening up the frontier to farming and ranching

Many farmers built their homes from sod. What answer BEST describes sod?

• branches and clay

• iron and wood

• grass and mud

• curried buffalo hide